Fernweh » Home http://inforeignparts.net/blog Evamaria's travel log Fri, 30 Jul 2010 17:23:55 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Setting the date http://inforeignparts.net/blog/2010/03/31/setting-the-date/ http://inforeignparts.net/blog/2010/03/31/setting-the-date/#comments Wed, 31 Mar 2010 18:23:31 +0000 Evamaria http://inforeignparts.net/blog/?p=300 Haiti has suddenly become much more real – I received the confirmation email from Global Volunteer Network that my placement will begin on October 15, 2010. Oh boy…

I would like to congratulate you on confirming your place in the Haiti Volunteer Program for 1 month starting 15th October 2010. You may now go ahead and book your flights!

As a volunteer in our Haiti program, you have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of communities devastated by the January 12 earthquake. You will provide support, attention and assistance to the people of Haiti through our rebuilding and rehabilitation program.

Here at Global Volunteer Network we partner with local organizations who are best placed to identify their country’s greatest development needs. We will help you prepare for your placement and once you are in-country you will have the support of our local partner. By volunteering you will be a part of the GVN movement which takes action against poverty and you will gain experience and personal growth by doing so.

As you can see, I’m currently signed up for 1 month – but I’m still convinced that I should go at least for 6-8 weeks in order to be able to really make a difference. It all depends on my fundraising, which means I should get started on that, doesn’t it? :)

I am very nervous about the whole thing, as it’s quite clear volunteering will be taxing on both body and mind. But I really think this is what I’m supposed to do and hope and pray for the strength to really go for it!

]]> http://inforeignparts.net/blog/2010/03/31/setting-the-date/feed/ 0 Back in Switzerland http://inforeignparts.net/blog/2008/09/08/back-in-switzerland/ http://inforeignparts.net/blog/2008/09/08/back-in-switzerland/#comments Mon, 08 Sep 2008 17:29:15 +0000 Evamaria http://inforeignparts.net/blog/?p=287 After a long flight (well, 14 hours to London, but because they put me on a different plane in Singapore I was stuck in the middle of the row) it felt utterly surreal and see the typical Swiss rolling hills/forests/small towns combination from the window of the small plane from London. The feeling got more pronounced when I saw my mother through glass as I was waiting for my luggage and then walked out to see my family, my brother’s girlfriend and my best friend Sibylle waiting for me. They even had a self-made banner!

Then we went to my parents’ new place in a tiny village near Zurich, which is going to be my home for the next couple of months at least (I need to find a temp job while I do a proper job hunt in the UK and Ireland). It was sad that everyone except for my parents had to leave to go back to Basel in the evening, but as far as coming home experiences go, this one couldn’t have been much better! Now if only I wasn’t missing Wellington so badly…

Arrival in Switzerland Arrival in Switzerland Arrival in Switzerland Arrival in Switzerland Arrival in Switzerland Arrival in Switzerland

As always, all my photos can be found on Flickr. The rest of the homecoming photos, Australia and Singapore are collected here, New Zealand here.

]]> http://inforeignparts.net/blog/2008/09/08/back-in-switzerland/feed/ 0 Not much to report http://inforeignparts.net/blog/2008/06/08/not-much-to-report/ http://inforeignparts.net/blog/2008/06/08/not-much-to-report/#comments Sun, 08 Jun 2008 07:59:10 +0000 Evamaria http://inforeignparts.net/blog/2008/06/08/not-much-to-report/ Study week is almost over – my first exam is tomorrow afternoon. I don’t know if I’ve studied enough, if I’ll remember all those finicky little details, but there’s not much I can do about that now except revise some more.

Yesterday I watched a couple of movies with Michelle (and a very sleepy Rathy) – ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ and ‘Some Like It Hot’, both films that never fail to make me smile.

Lazy Saturday afternoon

And tonight the view from my window once again managed to make me get out my camera:
Sunset

But anyway, back home the EuroCup 2008 started, which led me to search YouTube for some video of the opening match, Switzerland-Czech Republic, which was held in Basel (Switzerland lost, 1:0, btw). In doing so I found this pretty little video of a tram ride from the Basel train station:

I also discovered that apparently Baschi, a hometown boy, did the inofficial Euro 08 song for Switzerland – Bring en hei (“bring it home”): www.sendspace.com/file/avyszo

]]> http://inforeignparts.net/blog/2008/06/08/not-much-to-report/feed/ 0 It’s official http://inforeignparts.net/blog/2008/05/06/its-official/ http://inforeignparts.net/blog/2008/05/06/its-official/#comments Tue, 06 May 2008 08:02:48 +0000 Evamaria http://inforeignparts.net/blog/2008/05/06/its-official/ I’ve paid the first half of my plane ticket, so I now have a schedule for leaving New Zealand. Needless to say I’m not happy about it. :(

But here are the dates:
June 19: last exam
visit Denise, pack and ship all my stuff
June 28: Meredith moves into my room
travel the South Island, spend a couple of days saying goodbye to Wellington
July 25: Wellington – Melbourne
travel Melbourne – Adelaide – Alice Springs – Uluru – Perth
Sept 2: Perth – Singapore
break up the long flight by visiting Amy
Sept 5: Singapore – London – Zurich

I’ll arrive in Zurich on Sept 6 at noon. It’s a Saturday, so hopefully my whole family can come and pick me up.

]]> http://inforeignparts.net/blog/2008/05/06/its-official/feed/ 0 Music for you http://inforeignparts.net/blog/2007/12/21/music-for-you/ http://inforeignparts.net/blog/2007/12/21/music-for-you/#comments Fri, 21 Dec 2007 01:48:43 +0000 Evamaria http://inforeignparts.net/blog/2007/12/21/music-for-you/ I made a 2007 mix CD – you can find it here, in my personal blog, which otherwise I’m shamefully neglecting in favour of this one… :)

21 songs that personify this exciting year for me for a variety of reasons. Hope you enjoy! :)

]]> http://inforeignparts.net/blog/2007/12/21/music-for-you/feed/ 0 Spending Sunday productively http://inforeignparts.net/blog/2007/12/02/spending-sunday-productively/ http://inforeignparts.net/blog/2007/12/02/spending-sunday-productively/#comments Sun, 02 Dec 2007 03:07:38 +0000 Evamaria http://inforeignparts.net/blog/2007/12/02/spending-sunday-productively/ Besides a lovely phone call with Sibylle, editing of my second assignment, and going grocery shopping, I also spent today (slowly, as my internet is still dial-up) uploading some of my photos – not the ones I took here, but a number of older ones. Most notably you can see the pics I took when Sibylle and I visited her grandmother in Troyes (including a two-day trip to beautiful Paris) here.

Best friends goodbye trip

]]> http://inforeignparts.net/blog/2007/12/02/spending-sunday-productively/feed/ 0 Awww… http://inforeignparts.net/blog/2007/11/17/awww/ http://inforeignparts.net/blog/2007/11/17/awww/#comments Sat, 17 Nov 2007 05:52:36 +0000 Evamaria http://inforeignparts.net/blog/2007/11/17/awww/ My aunt Maria sent me a surprise email with a photo from the family goodbye weekend at my grandmother’s old summer house on the Greifensee near Zurich:

Family goodbye

That just gave me my first pang of homesickness.

]]> http://inforeignparts.net/blog/2007/11/17/awww/feed/ 0 Almost gone… http://inforeignparts.net/blog/2007/10/18/almost-gone-2/ http://inforeignparts.net/blog/2007/10/18/almost-gone-2/#comments Thu, 18 Oct 2007 19:25:23 +0000 Evamaria http://inforeignparts.net/blog/2007/10/18/almost-gone-2/ Checked in my luggage (one big suitcase, one big backpack) at the train station today. This makes it all the more real, but, occasional anxiety attacks aside, it still feels not very different from my usual trips. Except that I’m not coming home this time – at least not to this home, as my parents are moving while I’m gone. Which adds a whole other level of strange to the experience.

But first I have to actually get there – I’ve now booked hostel accomodation for the week before university orientation and announced my intention to visit my friend Denise and her family in New Plymouth (where I spent six weeks in 2003 and fell in love with beautiful New Zealand). So now all I’m missing is final word on uni accomodation – let’s hope it comes soon, but first I’m looking forward to spending two weeks with my friend Bronwyn near San Jose, California!

]]> http://inforeignparts.net/blog/2007/10/18/almost-gone-2/feed/ 0 Bye bye… Evamaria’s “Leaving for New Zealand” mix http://inforeignparts.net/blog/2007/10/15/bye-bye-evamarias-leaving-for-new-zealand-mix/ http://inforeignparts.net/blog/2007/10/15/bye-bye-evamarias-leaving-for-new-zealand-mix/#comments Mon, 15 Oct 2007 09:01:08 +0000 Evamaria http://inforeignparts.net/blog/2007/10/15/bye-bye-evamarias-leaving-for-new-zealand-mix/ For my goodbye party last Saturday I made a special music mix, which I gave to my friends with personalized cover art. However, I also made a more general cover, using photos from my last visit to New Zealand. It’s all about getting ready for something new. I’d love to hear if you like it…

Right-click for full-size
Right-click image for full-size cover.

1. My Little Corner of the World – Yo La Tengo: www.sendspace.com/file/kcrwv9
2. Twentysomething – Jamie Cullum: www.sendspace.com/file/ydckab
3. Counting Down – Anggun: www.sendspace.com/file/amiu2e
4. Learning to Breathe – Switchfoot: www.sendspace.com/file/b14jz0
5. Feeling Good – Michael Bublé: www.sendspace.com/file/y1ge1a
6. Time of Your Life – Green Day: www.sendspace.com/file/z3p3kl
7. Hie und jetzt – Mia Aegerter: www.sendspace.com/file/qa3kgv
8. Don’t Fence Me In – John Barrowman: www.sendspace.com/file/gpyybh
9. Radio Nowhere – Bruce Springsteen: www.sendspace.com/file/jrpk5y
10. Crazy – Gnarls Barkley: www.sendspace.com/file/hpwbhn
11. Changes – David Bowie: www.sendspace.com/file/i5kv05
12. Globetrotter – Büne Huber: www.sendspace.com/file/svtgdg
13. Colorful – Rocco DeLuca & The Burden: www.sendspace.com/file/reguvq
14. Leaving Town – Dexter Freebish: www.sendspace.com/file/gh5nwc
15. Bring On the Wonder – Susan Enan: www.sendspace.com/file/35w86o
16. Lost At Sea – Eisley: www.sendspace.com/file/znf7li
17. Ruggewind – Michael von der Heide: www.sendspace.com/file/szc65x
18. Island in the Sun – Weezer: www.sendspace.com/file/9xcb09
19. Under the Milky Way Tonight – The Church: www.sendspace.com/file/qnxqa5
20. Ka Mate Ka Mate – Ko Te Whanua O Morvin Raua Ko Kura Simon: www.sendspace.com/file/r51zkr
21. Into the West – Annie Lennox (bonus track): www.sendspace.com/file/yvc1f5

> Zip file (88.3mb, 21 songs + playlist.xml)

]]> http://inforeignparts.net/blog/2007/10/15/bye-bye-evamarias-leaving-for-new-zealand-mix/feed/ 0 Officially open http://inforeignparts.net/blog/2007/10/05/officially-open/ http://inforeignparts.net/blog/2007/10/05/officially-open/#comments Fri, 05 Oct 2007 13:41:15 +0000 Evamaria http://inforeignparts.net/blog/2007/10/05/officially-open/ With only two weeks left until I leave, I finally managed to get the site done and the blog archives working. I’m planning to use this as a way to let those interested know how I’m doing all the way down there in New Zealand, what school is like and anything else I might feel like sharing. That might be daily posts or not, I guess it’ll depend on whether I have anything to say. But do check back – and keep in touch!

And now I should get the suitcase and backpack from the basement and see how much stuff will actually fit into them…

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